THE Alliance network has been encouraging incumbents who’re unhappy with the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process to make known their church’s willingness to withdraw from Church of England structures.
Behind the scenes, the Alliance — a network of church organisations against the changes brought by the LLF process — has been encouraging incumbents to influence their PCCs to pass a resolution stating that, if the Church of England moves forward with either stand-alone services or clergy same-sex marriage, the parish will take at the least considered one of a set of actions. Those include: looking for “alternative episcopal oversight”, a choice to “reroute their diocesan financial contributions”, and moves to “encourage ordinands to take part in an orthodox vocations programme”.
On Wednesday afternoon, the House of Bishops announced that full synodical approval could be required for either standalone services or clergy same-sex marriage, effectively stalling LLF (News, 15 October). The Bishops also announced that, in consequence, they didn’t consider it essential to develop any model of other episcopal oversight.
A document, “Alliance Campaign Manual”, seen by the Church Times, encourages clergy to take part in a “Day of Action” on 1 December after they hope that “hundreds of clergy and PCCs” will write to their diocesan bishops to tell them of their decision. “Church leaders who cannot agree decisions with PCC [sic] will probably be encouraged to put in writing in a private capability,” the document says.
The document advises clergy to have one-to-one conversations with PCC members to get support for a resolution. “One-to-one conversations are crucial in ensuring a PCC has a productive discussion, moves towards a typical mind and adopts the actions outlined above,” it says.
In a “majority progressive context . . . Prioritising one-to-one meetings with PCC members might be the numerous step,” the document continues.
“It may additionally be essential for Incumbents to remind PCC members of their roles as Trustees — to represent the congregation and deal with the theology and mission of the church slightly than personal experience and conviction,” the document says.
Ordination pathways have also change into an area of contention in debates around LLF (News, 23 February 2024). The Alliance document recommends a “latest orthodox vocations programme” that’s being “piloted” by the diocese of Southwell & Nottingham “under” the diocesan Bishop, the Rt Revd Paul Williams.
Called ReadyToServe, the scheme will not be a proper discernment process, however the Alliance commends it as an “opportunity that gives the space and inspiration for possible candidates to explore God’s calling to ordained ministry”.
In the General Synod, Bishop Williams has consistently voted against proposals brought under the LLF process. He has, nevertheless, distanced himself from the apparent appropriation of his diocese’s programme. A spokesperson for the diocese said: “The course is for everybody, and has no particular stance or angle. Bishop Paul has already identified to the Alliance that their description and suggestion is wholly unhelpful and misleading.”
THE Alliance got here to public prominence in 2023 when a letter sent by the leaders of 11 C of E organisations to the College of Bishops was leaked to the Church Times (News, 7 July 2023). The signatories included the chairs of each the Catholic and Evangelical groups on the Synod, in addition to the Vicar of Holy Trinity, Brompton, the Revd Archie Coates, and the church’s former vicar, and founding father of the Alpha course, the Revd Nicky Gumbel.
The letter called for the Prayers of Love and Faith to undergo a Canon B2 process within the Synod. This requires a two-thirds majority in each of the Synod’s three Houses. This, up to now, LLF proposals have failed to realize.
Last 12 months, in an extra letter to bishops, the Alliance wrote that if stand-alone or “bespoke” services of blessing were allowed, it might have “no alternative” but to determine a “de facto ‘parallel Province’” (News, 28 June 2024).
In November 2023, an amendment calling on the Bishops to contemplate a trial period for stand-alone services was carried by the Synod, but up to now no such services have officially taken place (News, 15 November).
Another demand of those against the LLF process is for structural provision for parishes and clergy which oppose the introduction of blessings for same-sex couples.
In February, the LLF lead bishop on the time, the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, said that the reassurance given by a model of shared episcopacy is likely to be “enough to permit clergy to enter same-sex civil marriages”.
Bishop Snow stepped down as lead bishop in June, saying that, while he hoped that it “may yet be possible” to agree a “way forward within the Church of England on matters of sexuality, relationships, and marriage . . . I don’t think that may occur under my leadership” (News, 13 June).
 process to make known their church’s willingness to...){kind=link}